Six corpses have appeared in the cobbled backstreets of St. Andrews in recent times, all known spousal abusers who suffered the same gruesome fate: stabbed to death in the left eye. But with no new leads left to explore, DCI Andy Gilchrist is forced off the case.

What is the significance of the left eye? Gilchrist can't seem to focus on anything else, and with his career and his reputation on the line, he vows to catch the Stabber even if it means he must do it alone. But as he gets deeper into the case, he discovers he may be up against the worst kind of murderer: a serial killer on the verge of a mental breakdown.